ONE Championship: Ben Woolliss falls in the third round against Petchtanong Petchfergus, Tang Kai finishes Shamil Gasanov | WWE News

Ben “The Problem” Woolliss may have tasted defeat at ONE Fight Night 43, but he proved beyond doubt that he is one of kickboxing’s elite.

The 32-year-old Grimsby fighter pushed former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing world champion Petchtanong Petchfergus before dropping a competitive decision to one of the most decorated veterans at ONE Fight Night 43, which airs live on Sky Sports on Saturday morning at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

For a man who battled Crohn’s disease for more than a decade – at one point, he couldn’t sit for 15 seconds without collapsing – going three full rounds with a former ONE Championship title holder represents another incredible achievement.

But Petchtanong made him work every second of the fight.

The opening round saw the Englishman take a more measured approach, as he pressed forward and picked apart the veteran Thai. Woolliss changed his stance repeatedly, keeping the Thai guessing as he poked and prodded for an opening. Petchtanong sits steady, stabbing long kicks to control the range.

The pace increased in the second round, as Petchtanong went forward with combinations marked by kicks. Meanwhile, the Brit continued to cleverly cut angles while throwing punches, and combined independent kicks to the head and body.

Then in the final minute of the second frame, Petchtanong came forward with a shot and put the Grimsby native on the back foot. Thai even set a trap – he deliberately left his lead leg exposed, and when “Trouble” attacked, the 40-year-old was waiting. His kick smashed into Woolliss’ standing leg, hitting the knee for a moment.

The closer they worked together, the better Petchtanong became in trading. The Thai’s left hand clipped Woolliss’ head back repeatedly, his kicks continued to find their targets, and he avoided most of the Brit’s attacks.

In the final half of the frame, “Trouble” turned up the heat and the veteran seemed comfortable backing away. Woolliss didn’t give him time to rest, opting to throw everything at him in the closing seconds of the bantamweight kickboxing match, including a wild spinning backfist followed by a powerful uppercut.

In the end, the judges were unanimous in awarding Petchtanong the decision, which moved his career record to 360-57.

For Woolliss, it marked his first ONE Championship loss, just two months after stopping former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker with a leg kick in the first round.

Even though the star from Grimsby fell on the wrong side of the decision, he proved to the world that he is of the highest skill in the sport and that he can be a real “problem” in the best bantamweight kickboxing team.

Tang Kai dominates Shamil Gasanov, holding the featherweight belt

In the main event, China’s Tang Kai enjoyed a solid performance, as he finished off Russian contender Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov to retain the ONE Featherweight MMA World title.

Gasanov, an almost flawless competitor known for his incredible Dagestani wrestling prowess and submission, was determined to take the reigning champion to the canvas and work his heavy magic.

However, Tang put in almost every effort to take down “Cobra” and forced him to fight on his feet, where the Chinese title holder held the edge.

The 30-year-old from Shaoyang pummeled Gasanov with punches and kicks throughout the contest, pounding him with blows until his body could no longer hold.

It all came to a head in the fourth round, when Tang’s low kicks were too much for the Russian to handle. Midway through the frame, another front leg kick forced Gasanov to the canvas, and a couple of hammerlocks ended the contest.

With the victory, Tang – China’s first male MMA World Champion – retained his belt and showed everyone that he is more dangerous than ever.

ONE Fight Night 43 – Full Results

– ONE Featherweight MMA World Championship: Tang Kai (c) defeated Shamil Gasanov by TKO (ground and pound) at 2:41 of the fourth round.

– Bantamweight Kickboxing: Petchtanong Petchfergus defeated Ben Woolliss by unanimous decision

– Bantamweight Submission Grappling: Diogo Reis defeated Yuki Takahashi by unanimous decision

– Flyweight Muay Thai: Aslamjon Ortikov defeated Jordan Estupinan by TKO (three knockdowns) at 2:06 of the second round

– Strawweight MMA: Fabio Henrique defeated Yosuke Saruta by TKO (ground and pound) at 0:39 of the second round

– Bantamweight Muay Thai: Nontachai Jitmuangnon defeated Felipe Lobo by unanimous decision

– Bantamweight MMA: Lito Adiwang defeated Eko Roni Saputra by TKO (punches) at 0:34 of the first round

– Featherweight Kickboxing: Luo Chao defeated Denis Souza Jr. with the decision to separate

– Atomweight Muay Thai: Martyna Dominczak defeated Johanna Persson by unanimous decision

Watch ONE Championship live on Sky Sports. Don’t have Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream NOW.